Go Away With … Derek Luke

By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Content Agency
March 22, 2016

Portraying the titular role in “Antwone Fisher” put Derek Luke on the acting map. Since that 2002 film, the actor has built up a strong portfolio of work in films and on television (“Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Empire,” “Hawthorne”). Currently, he may be seen on DIRECTV’s “Rogue” (also available on AT-and-T U-verse).

An avid traveler, Luke says he and his family are happy visiting the nearest beach or heading to faraway destinations such as Dubai. Fans may follow Luke on Twitter. Luke said he also recently started an Instagram account, because thousands of his fans were following fake accounts, under the assumption that they were interacting with him.

Q. What would be your dream trip?

A. This is an easy one! Georgetown, Guyana. This is where my father is from. I have wanted to go and visit to meet his side of the family. While I was recently working in Barbados, a cousin from Guyana found out that I was there. He reached out to me on social media and I got to meet one of my Guyanese family members for the first time!

Q. What untapped destination should people know about?

A. New Zealand and Durban, South Africa, along the coast of the Indian Ocean. The beaches are organically beautiful.

Q. What was the first trip you took as a child? And did you love it … or not so much?

A. I was introduced to the world beyond my neighborhood when my mom surprised me and my brothers on the last day of school by taking us to Disney World in Orlando. Since then, me and my brother have become jet-setters.

Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?

A. Know the food and the culture. Don’t impose my views onto that culture, but enjoy it. Be flexible and be adventurous. When in Rome — which happens to be one of my favorite vacation spots — do as the Romans.

Q. Have you traveled to a place that stood out so much that you felt compelled to incorporate it into your work?

A. Traveling is like using seasoning in your cooking. Your taste buds never are the same. The place that most stands out is London. I love the way Europeans follow fashion, where the gents are well groomed and understand good taste. I’m incorporating that into the movie I’m doing, “Jack Johnson,” because Jack Jackson had the passport of imagination.

Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A. Eugene, Oregon, with my family! It’s a great getaway — green, fresh air and beautiful mountains. The locals are so friendly and there’s clean tap water! My brothers-in-law harvest their own meat. And it’s also got the best beef jerky in the world!

Q. What are your favorite hotels?

A. I define a hotel by the bed and its service. The Four Seasons is on my top tier, a home away from home. My family and I loved the five-star accommodations and services at the Four Seasons Maui. We were left wanting for nothing. We also stayed at the Atlantis in Dubai. The city skyline and architecture were majestic!

Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?

A. When I think of home, I think about family, food and friends. There are a couple of vacation spots that have embraced this culture. One is Italy. Food is such a part of their love language. Being hungry is something they’re not willing to let you be. While filming “Miracle at St. Anna” with Spike Lee, I was sitting in a village in Florence between takes. A sweet elderly woman started raising her voice at me as I ate lunch. I thought I was trespassing. I asked someone to translate what she was saying. He said she wanted to know if I wanted bread with the food I was eating.

Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?

A. Egypt has always been a place that I have wanted to go to. The mysteries of the pyramids and early civilization intrigue me. I’m so fascinated with the intelligence the people used to create those pyramids and also one of the earlier birthplaces of mathematics. They also mastered how to embalm a body.

Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?

A. Dental floss and my Spotify!

Q. What are your favorite restaurants?

A. One of my favorite restaurants is Houston’s and Acqua AL2.

Q. Where is the most romantic destination?
A. Even if it’s just a weekend getaway to the beach, it’s more about getting away from the hustle and bustle of life’s demands and being able to focus on each other.

Q. If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A. In my line of work, we are constantly traveling. For that reason, we plan and enjoy staying home for the holidays.

Q. What are your favorite cities?
A. Ahhh! The sweet sound of New York and London! They are like siblings raised by their separate parents — common, but not identical. New York is the younger sibling of London.

Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. The hotel has to be the best. And find out where the Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are. Don’t panic, it’s organic!

Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?
A. Exploring the natural resources of the city that I’m in. I like to find the local cultures in food and art and what it’s known for. Also, finding out the local mall to go shopping. On my way back from South Africa, we stopped in Dubai for some guilty-pleasure shopping! We found out about the Dubai Mall, which had over 1,000 stores in it. We made it to about six of those thousand! My wife found a pajama store and spent over $1,000 on PJs. That was by far the most we have spent on that. That splurge was not on just one pair of Pjs. She ended up with eight sets of (comfortable ones that) you couldn’t buy in the United States.

© 2016 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.